¨¨¨¨.^^%¶¶ ¶¶%^^.¨¨¨¨
¨.~^$%&¶## ##¶&%$^~.¨
¨.~^$%&¶¶¶ ¶¶¶&%$^~.¨
¨.~^$%&¶## ##¶&%$^~.¨
¨¨¨.^^^^%¶ ¶%^^^^.¨¨¨
¨.~^$%## Winds esker ###&%$^~.¨
¨.~^$%&¶## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ##¶&%$^~.¨
¨¨¨...^%¶¶ ¶¶%^...¨¨¨
¨.~~~~$$%& There Was This Place That For Two Years &%$$~~~~.¨
¨¨.~~^$$ I Couldn'T Go To. Regardless How Much #&$$^~~.¨¨
¨.~^$%&&¶¶ Discussed With Others, Or Pointed Out ¶¶&&%$^~.¨
¨.~^$%&¶## On Maps, I Could Not Think Of It When ##¶&%$^~.¨
¨.~^$%&¶## Alone. I Would Often Travel Past The ##¶&%$^~.¨
¨¨¨.^$$&¶¶ Fork, Where A Right Turn Would Surely ¶¶&$$^.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~$%%& Take Me There, But Even Then, Something &%%$~~¨¨¨¨
¨.~^$$$$$& Kept Me Away. &$$$$$^~.¨
¨.~^$&¶### ###¶&$^~.¨
¨¨¨.~$%%%& When I Finally Got There, After Some &%%%$~.¨¨¨
¨.~^$%&¶## Heavy Subconscious Battle I Must ##¶&%$^~.¨
¨¨¨.~^$%¶# Assume, The Place Was Surreal. An #¶%$^~.¨¨¨
¨.~^$%&¶## Esker, Like A Needle-Thin Rift Out In ##¶&%$^~.¨
¨.~^$$$%%& The Lake, But Ten Meters High And &%%$$$^~.¨
¨.~^$%&&¶¶ Adorned In Birch, Willow, Bracken, And ¶¶&&%$^~.¨
¨.~^$%&¶## Blueberries. ##¶&%$^~.¨
¨.~^$%&¶## ##¶&%$^~.¨
¨.~^$%&¶## Walking Atop That Spine, I Came To ##¶&%$^~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨.^%¶¶ Notice The View To Either Side. There ¶¶%^.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.^^$$%& Should Be Shores, Of Course, But I &%$$^^.¨¨¨
¨.~^$$$%&& Didn'T Recognize Them. First Off, They &&%$$$^~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨~$%¶¶ Were Much Too Close, As The Lake Should ¶¶%$~¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~^$%&¶## Stretch For A Hundred Meters More On ##¶&%$^~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨~^%¶¶ Both Sides. But Now I Felt I Could ¶¶%^~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.^%% Almost Reach Out And Touch Them. And #&%%^.¨¨¨¨
¨.~^$%&¶¶# Then, When I Realized Which Shores They #¶¶&%$^~.¨
¨.~^$%## Were, I Had To Stop. ###&%$^~.¨
¨.~^$%&&¶# #¶&&%$^~.¨
¨.~^^^$$%& They Were Of The Right Lake. But This &%$$^^^~.¨
¨¨...^$&&¶ Lake Is Large, Fractured, And ¶&&$^...¨¨
¨¨.~~^^%¶¶ Bipartite. Like A Pair Of Lungs Carved ¶¶%^^~~.¨¨
¨.~$%&¶### Into The Granite, And With No Less Than ###¶&%$~.¨
¨.~^$%%%%& Five Communities Anchored At Various &%%%%$^~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨.^^$& Points. And So, Studying These &$^^.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~^$%&¶¶# Impossibly Close Shores, I Slowly #¶¶&%$^~.¨
¨.~^$%&¶## Understood Them As Belonging Many Miles ##¶&%$^~.¨
¨.~^^$$%%& Away. &%%$$^^~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~$$& &$$~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨.^$& I Examined The Ridge, The Treeline &$^.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~^$%&¶## Above. Was This What You Saw Opposite, ##¶&%$^~.¨
¨.~^$%&¶¶¶ From Those Other Shores? I Couldn'T ¶¶¶&%$^~.¨
¨...~~$%¶¶ Remember. ¶¶%$~~...¨
¨¨¨¨¨.^$$& &$$^.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~^$%## Carrying Forward, On The Very Tip Of ###&%$^~.¨
¨¨.~^^%% The Esker, I Found The Ruins Of Some #&%%^^~.¨¨
¨.~$%&¶### Old Building. There Were Overgrown ###¶&%$~.¨
¨.~^$%&¶## Marble Staircases, Stone Floors Beneath ##¶&%$^~.¨
¨.~^$%&¶## The Moss, And Strange Slabs Inserted ##¶&%$^~.¨
¨.~~~$$$&¶ Into The Slope Like Dams Against The ¶&$$$~~~.¨
¨.~^$%&¶## Ground Itself. ##¶&%$^~.¨
¨.~^^$$$$& &$$$$^^~.¨
¨.~^$%&¶## Sitting There, I Could See Across The ##¶&%$^~.¨
¨.~^$%&¶## Narrowed Lake My Entire Path To Where I ##¶&%$^~.¨
¨.~^$%&¶## Sat: From The Stairwell Of My House, ##¶&%$^~.¨
¨.~^$%## Through The Old Woods Behind The Tile ###&%$^~.¨
¨¨¨..^^%&& Factory, The Bridge Over Route &&%^^..¨¨¨
¨.~^$%&¶## Twenty three And Then Back Under It, ##¶&%$^~.¨
¨.~^^^^%&& Through The Fancy Villas, Over The &&%^^^^~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~$& Fields, And Then That Right Turn At The &$~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~^$%&¶¶¶ Fork. ¶¶¶&%$^~.¨
¨¨¨¨~~^^%¶ ¶%^^~~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.^$&& And Then The Stairs Up On The Ridge. &&$^.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~^$%&¶## Thinking Back, This Was Probably It. ##¶&%$^~.¨
¨.~^$%&¶## Hidden In A Grove, There Were Stairs ##¶&%$^~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~^$& Much Like The Ones I Currently Sat On, &$^~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~$%& Old And Worn Down, That Lead You Up &%$~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~^$%&¶## Onto The Esker. The Point Of Entry. Had ##¶&%$^~.¨
¨¨¨¨..^%¶¶ I Insted Opted To Walk The Path At Its ¶¶%^..¨¨¨¨
¨.~$%&¶### Foot, I'M Sure My Experience Would'Ve ###¶&%$~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~^%& Been Different Indeed. &%^~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~^$%&¶¶¶ ¶¶¶&%$^~.¨
¨.~^$%%&¶# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #¶&%%$^~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~$%& &%$~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~^$$%% On The Lake, There Were People In #&%%$$^~.¨
¨.~^$%&¶## Boats. I Wondered, Could They Even See ##¶&%$^~.¨
¨.~^$%&¶## Me? If I Shouted, Would They Turn To ##¶&%$^~.¨
¨.~^$%&& Stare Right Through Me? #&&&%$^~.¨
¨¨¨~~$$&¶¶ ¶¶&$$~~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~$$& &$$~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~^$%## ###&%$^~.¨
¨¨....~~$& &$~~....¨¨
¨.~^$%%& #&&%%$^~.¨